Improvement in type-writing machines



2 sneew-sneet 1.

c. A. WASHBURN. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

Pitented Nov. 8,1870.

Fig.

0. A. WASH-BURN.

' I TYPE WRITING MACHINE. No. 109,161; Patented Nov. 8, 1870.

- .2 Shets-Sheet 2.

UNITED "STATES PATENT O -10E.

CHARLES A. WASHBURN, or 'SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.-

iM-P RO'V E MENT INTYPE-WR'ITI-hlG MACHINES.

Specification forming part of 1 m Patent No. 109,1 dated November 8, 1870:

To all whom it rnay concern;

Be it known-that I, CHARLES A. NVASH- BURN, of San Francisco, inthe county of'San Francisco and State of California, have-invented certain new andusefnl Improvements in Machines for Printing or Writing by hand;

'and I. do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to. the accompanying drawings; ma; ing. a part of this specification, in whichr Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the machine. Fig.2 represents a top plan of'the machine, the cover being removed. Fig. .3

representsa vertical section taken through the red line a." a; of Fig. 1, and showing the vparts to'the right of said line. Fig. 4 rep,re-'

sents in perspective, and detached from the machine, one of the type-levers and its appliances.

- Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the several separate figures, denote like parts ofthe machine in all of the draw,

' his invention relates to a class of machines wherein lettered or otherwise marked keys are touched or struck by hand, to cause an arm' or lever carrying acorresponding letter or mark to strike the paper or other thingto'be marked or printed upon, :in a given or regulated line, so as to produce a printed or marked surface, such as may be desired. The-feed ing'along-of the paper or othermatcrial that receives the letters, marks, or indentations, as well as the supplying of ink or other col ored matter to the types or other characters used, being automatic, as will be explained.

And my invention consists, first, in combining with a series of lettered or otherwise marked keys a series-of levers of diifering lengths, and pivoted at varied distances from the printing or impressing point, and furnished with letters or marks corresponding to those on the keys, so that, when actuated, each-leverof the series shall bring its lettered or marked end over or upon one and the same point to leave its impression.

My invention further consists in combining with a series of type-levers and a striker for forcing their type or other charactered end against the paper or other article tobe inn-- pressed, a stop for preventing the momentum of said levers from carrying-them beyond the pointwhere the striker acts, or the impression is to be taken My invention further consists in'cpm'bining witha series of type-levers .furnished with type or other characters or marks an inking mechanism for supplying them with ink as they are moving to the point 'where the impression is to betaken;

To enableothersskilled in theart to make and use, my invention, 1 will proceed todescribe the same with reference to thedrawings. I a

' A series of finger-keys, A A A, 8150., corresponding in number to the letters of the al-' phabet, together withsuch other mz trks,char-' acters, ornnmerals as are ordinarily nsed in printing-or',writing,fis arranged in'thecase. or-

frame B,- andpivoted or hinged fat their'rear ends a. q, a, &c., so that they may move'downward under the pressure of the finger of the operator. To each one of the keys-A there is connectedbya link, b,'a lever, O, which is.

hinged or pivoted at c, so -that inpre'ssing down a key its lever shall also descend. And

to each ofthe levers cthere isconnecte'd one endof a-eoiled or other spring; d, the" other end of which is fastened to a rigid piece or .frame, 6, so that the descent of the lever will expand the spring, and the reaction of said .spring, when thekey is relieved of the pressure, return said lever and'key to its normal position. To the free'endsof. the series of levers C are attached respcctivelythe lower ends of a series ofv connecting rods orbars, D,

the upper-ends of whichjare attached to the short arm f of its respective-type-lever E, which are also in series capacity, and pivoted to the metallic franie-pieceF, as shown at g g g, &c. The positions of the type-levers E are motion of the type-lever, to make its impression upon the paper or other article that lies on or against the padded or cushioned roller j, and which receives the impulse of the blow given to the type-lever by the striker 7r, which will be hereafter described. The connectingrods 1) are pivoted respectively to the short arms of the levers, which they operate at the points 9 g g, said levers working like hellcrank levers.

As the levers E increase in length, and are pivoted more and more distant from the print nag-point, they are curved or bent the more at their lower extremities, to bring their lower ends more into, or exactly into, the line, out of whichtheir upper ends are necessarily taken, that they may have space to move in without striking or interfering with each others movements.

Underneath the keys A there is a vibrating frame composed of a front and rear longitudiseries, on being pressed down, comes against the front portion G of this vibrating frame,.

and as the pressure is continued the frame itself goes down with the key, it being so nearly balanced as to require but little pressure to move it on its pivoted points at Z. The downward motion of the frame works the striker 7;, while the return motion operates the feed-motion that carries the paper past the printing-point, as will be hereinafter more particularly described. 1

The striker 7c, more distinctly seen in Fig. 3, is pivoted at m to an upright or post, L. The short and horizontal arm or portion of the striker is linked, as at n, to an arm, 1, projecting forward from the center-of the rear piece H of thevibrating frame, so that as said frame descends with the key, orany key, it brings the upper end of the striker against the typelever that the pressure upon any one of the keys may have brought up to that point, and the blow or pressureof the striker upon such type-lever moves the type-lever laterally, and causes-its type, mark, or character'to be impressed upon the paper or other article, and the spring or reaction of the leveigfrom the blow or tap upon it, returns it to its natural working position again. And that the momentum of the type-levers, as they are thrown up, may not carry them so far as not to be struck by 'the striker at the proper time and place, a stop, 0, is arranged, againstwhich each lever brings up just in time and place to be struck by the striker, and leave the impress of its type or character upon the paper, or otherai'ticle. As the vibrating frame drops in front and rises in the rear it draws back a dog, p, that works in a ratchet formed on the sprocket or chain-wheel r, and when released, or as it returns to its state of rest, itoperates said dog through the connecting-rod q and bell crank-lever a, which dog in turn moves the chain-wheel '7', and this moves the chain t,

which in turn carries the paper-table M and its appliances. The connecting-bar (1 also carries a dog, 11, that works in a ratchet, '17, which is on the same shaft with the pulley around which an endless band, '10, passes, and which transmits motion to the inking-roller y, and from a pulley on this rolleran endless band, :2, passes around a pulley on a supply-roller, 1, that works in the ink-fountain 2. A traveling ink-roller, 3, moves from the roller 3/ to the roller 1 to carry the ink from the former to the latter, which traveling roller turns on its axis when itis brought into contact with those 1 and y. To move the traveling roller 3 a crank and link connection, 4 5 6, is arranged and connected with a rod or bar, 7, that extends to the operators position in front of the machine, so that the roller 3 may be moved from the supply to the inking-roller, and vice versa. a

On the endless chain 25 there are three tappets, 8, so arranged and spaced that each one in turn-will catch against a shoulder or projection, 9, on the paper table or carrier M, and move said table to the left to the extent of its traverse in that direction, and as the table or paper-carrier so moves, itraises up a weight, 10,, that is upon the end of a cord or chain, 11, that is attached to said table or carrier, and passes n'nderthe pulley 12 and over the pulley 1-3. When the chain passes around the sprocket or chain wheel at the end of its traverse, the tappet then moving the table or carrier leaves the projection 9, the table is released from the carrying-chain, and the weight 10 falling drawsiback the table M for the next succeeding similar operation. At the top of the paper-table M are two rollers, a small one, 14, and a larger one, 15, the two being held in contact by the pressure of a spring. On the journal at the right-hand end of the roller 15 there is connected an arm or lever, 16, by means of a collar passing loosely around'said journal, and upon this same journal close to the collar there is rigidly fixed a ratchet, 17, in which a weighted pawl, 18, works, to turn the roller at the proper time and place to draw the paper up one line or space, when it returns to begin a new line, as follows: Just before the paper-carrier M arrives at the end of its traverse to the left, the lever 16 comes in contact with an inclined plane, 19, on a post or standard, 20. As the table continues toward the end of its traverse in this direction, the lever 16 is raised up by mounting this incline 19, and in rising up it carries with it the weighted pawl 18, which is pivoted to it, and allows the pawl to take a new position on the ratchet. When the table is released from the carrying-chain, as above described, and is run back by the falling of the weight 10, the lever 16-passes under a guide or downwardly-inclined rail or bar, 2l,which draws it, and with it the pawl 18, downvard, and causes said clined rail or bar, 21, which draws it, and with it the pawl 18, downward, and causes said pawl, which was previously setiin the ratchet 'for a feeding movement, to,slightly turn the roller 15, and draw up the paper snflicient-ly far to space the next'line to be printed. This done, the tappet on'the chain begins to move the table along for another succeeding printin g operation.

At the bottom of the paper-table M there are two rolls, a smaller one, 22, and a larger one, 23, and a friction springor brake on the roller 22 prevents it from turning until the friction is overcome by the tension upon the paper, when it turns and allows the paper to be fed up for spacing the lines.

Extending across the frame or case are two round rails, 24, upon which the paper-table is I guided and moves, the rails passing through lugs on the paper-table frame, and to avoid undue friction in moving the paper-table or carrier upon said rails friction-wheels 25, at taclhcd to said table, run upon the tops of said rai s.

The paper to be printed upon may be rolled upon the roller 22, and thence passing under the roller 23, thence up and upon the face of the paper carrier or table M, and between the pressure and feeding rolls 14 15, where it is caught and drawn up intermittently as the printing progresses, and as described, or an apron or tapes may extend from the lower to the upper rollers, and the paperbe caught upon and moved by said apron or tapes.

It willbe perceived by reference to Figs. 1

and 2 thatthere is a considerable portion of the bar G, which is a part of the heretoforedescribed vibrating frame, at the position where the operator stands or sits, that is not covered or occupied by the keys A. When this frame is moved by the keys, it, by its connections, spaces the distances between the letters print ed, but not between the words, which latter space is greater than that between the letters.

- When, therefore, a word-is completed, the oporator with his hand, and without moving or distributing the keys, gives the frame two or more vibrations, which moves the paper along sutliciently tov give the proper space between the words, and this arrangement of the bar, keys, type-levers, and paper table or carrier is very important, inasmuch as the printing is done in full fair sight, -alway of the operator, so that he may always, and at any time, see the workthat is done, and stop or correct it when it is necessary to do so. All its workin gs are in full fair view of the operator, and an error or a misprint could not go unobserved.

W hen the paper table or carrier is run back by the falling of the weight 10 ts momentum.

it suddenly arrested, might, by jarrings, dis

arrange some of the parts and make unpleas. ant noise. To avoid this I arrange. upon the rails 24. rubber springs, pads, or cushions 26 to stop the table at the end of its traverse in that direction in which the weight moves it.

While this machine has been described only. for printing, it could he used for making stereotype-matrices by impressingits type in some suitably soft or pliable material, such, for instance, as papier mach, 'into which, when dried, the type-metal .could be run to make the stereotypeplate.

If it be desirable to duplicate the type-levers, so that one set may contain capital letters only, aud'the other set small letters, it can be readily' done by arranging the second or duplicate set above those shown in the drawing, and so that'the striking of the keys corresponding thereto will swing them downward and then against the paper as the set herein shown swings upwardto do the same thing. This, however, wouldamonnt to doubling the machine, which I have herein described and shown, and Iwould regard the so doubling or duplicating the typulevers and keys as a part and parcel'of my invention, and an obvious addition to the machine I have invented.

Having thus fully described 'my invention,- what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1, In combination with a series of lettered or otherwise marked keys, a series of levers of differing lengths, andpivoted at varied distances from the printing or impressing point, and furnished with lettersor'marks' corresponding to those on the keys, respectively, to which they are attached, so that,

when actnated each lever of the series-shall bring its lettered or marked end over or upon one and the same point or position to leave its impression, substantially'as described.

2. In combination with a series of type-levers, and a striker common to .all, for forcing the type ends thereof against the paper or other article to be impressed, a stop that is also common to all the lovers for preventing the levers in rising from being carried beyond the exact point where the impression is to be taken, substantially as describedn 3. In combination with the series of typelevers of differing lengths and hung in difi'erent planes, an inking-roller, against which the type of each lever moves as it is swung into position for printing action, substantially as described.

.GHARLES A. WASHBURN.

Witnesses:

A. B. STOUGHTON, EDMUND MASSON. 

